Assault uncovered

A father complained to us that his son was assaulted while in custody at a youth justice centre. He told us he only learned of the assault when the youth appeared at a bail hearing with a black eye. When we met with the youth at the facility, he told us he was assaulted by other residents, but facility staff denied him the right to speak to his father and his lawyer after the assault occurred.

RESULT: We followed up with the facility and requested an investigation. Once it was completed, we reviewed video of the incident, and the investigation report, which concluded that staff at the centre should have been more proactive in de-escalating tension between the residents. The centre also acknowledged that the father should have been notified, but it had failed to obtain that contact information when the youth was admitted.